Cooling and warming device

ABSTRACT

A cooling and warming device includes a housing having a receiving space formed therein. The receiving space has a lower end mounted with a heat exchanger having a heating element therein, so that a cooling unit can be placed into the receiving space from an upper end of the receiving space to make the cooling unit contact with an upper surface of the heat exchanger. The housing further includes a liquid tank used to store a predetermined volume of a liquid, and a control circuit used to control the heating element or a pump for guiding the liquid in the liquid tank between the heat exchanger and a blanket, so as to form a heat exchange circulating pathway therebetween. Thus, a uniform heat exchange for cooling or warming the liquid in the liquid tank will be carried out by the cooling unit or the heating element through the heat exchanger.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a cooling and warming device, and more particularly to a cooling and warming device comprising a receiving space, a cooling unit in the receiving space, and a heat exchanger on the bottom of the receiving space for executing a heat exchange to cool a liquid in the cooling and warming device without any fan and compressor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A traditional active high-speed cooling and warming device is disclosed in Taiwan Utility Mode Pat. No. M268546, as shown in FIG. 1, wherein the cooling and warming device comprises a housing 10. The housing 10 includes a control circuit 11, a liquid tank 12, a heat exchanger 14, a heat sink 16, a fan 18, and a compressor 19, wherein the liquid tank 12 is provided with a pump 120 therein. The heat exchanger 14 is provided with a liquid guiding channel (not shown) wound therein and a heat pipe (not shown) inserted into a central portion thereof. Furthermore, the housing 10 further includes a refrigerant pipe 15 wound between the heat exchanger 14 and the heat sink 16. The refrigerant pipe 15 has two ends connected to the compressor 19, respectively. The liquid tank 12 is used to store a predetermined volume of a liquid (such as water). The control circuit 11 is used to control the pump 120, the heat exchanger 14, the fan 18, and the compressor 19. The pump 120 guides the liquid in the liquid tank 12 to the heat exchanger 14 and a cooling and warming blanket (not shown) in turn. Then, the liquid is guided back to the liquid tank 12 through the cooling and warming blanket, so as to form a heat exchange circulating pathway.

As described above, when the liquid in the liquid tank 12 is passed through the heat exchanger 14, a low-temperature refrigerant in the refrigerant pipe 15 can absorb heat of the liquid in the liquid guiding channel, so as to carry out the heat exchange for cooling the liquid. Then, the heat absorbed by the refrigerant in the refrigerant pipe 15 is firstly transferred to the heat sink 16, and then the heat on the heat sink 16 is dissipated by airflow inputted by the fan 18. Furthermore, the compressor 19 compresses the refrigerant, so as to restore the refrigerant in a low-temperature condition. Alternatively, when the liquid in the liquid tank 12 is passed through the heat exchanger 14, there is a heat exchange between the liquid and the heat pipe, so that the liquid guided into the cooling and warming blanket will be maintained in a desired cooling/warming temperature.

However, because the cooling and warming blanket is generally an article placed on a bed for use, the cooling and warming device must be mounted on a position adjacent to the bed. Thus, when the cooling and warming device starts to carry out a heat exchange for cooling, the fan 18 and the compressor 19 in the cooling and warming device will operate. At this time, it seems to place a miniature air conditioner adjacent to the bed. Especially, the noise caused by the operation of the fan 18 and the compressor 19 will buzz and bother a user's ear, resulting in affecting the sleep quality of the user. Even, it may cause the problem of sleep disorder. As a result, it is important to think how to solve the noise problem caused by the operation of the fan 18 and the compressor 19 under maintaining the original function of the cooling and warming device.

It is therefore tried by the inventor to develop a cooling and warming device to solve the noise problem caused by the fan and the compressor under maintaining the original heat exchange function of the cooling and warming device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a cooling and warming device, which comprises a housing including a receiving space formed therein, wherein the receiving space has a lower end wherearound a heat exchanger which is provided with a heating element therein is fixedly mounted, so that a user can place a cooling unit into the receiving space from an upper end of the receiving space to make the cooling unit contact with an upper surface of the heat exchanger. The housing further includes a liquid tank, a pump, and a control circuit, wherein the liquid tank is used to store a predetermined volume of a liquid, and the control circuit is used to control the pump and the heating element. The pump guides the liquid in the liquid tank to the heat exchanger and a cooling and warming blanket in turn. Then, the liquid is guided back to the liquid tank through the cooling and warming blanket, so as to form a heat exchange circulating pathway. Thus, a uniform heat exchange for cooling the liquid in the liquid tank will be carried out by the cooling unit through the heat exchanger. Alternatively, the control circuit controls the heating element, so that a uniform heat exchange for warming the liquid in the liquid tank will be carried out by the heating element through the heat exchanger. As a result, the liquid guided into the cooling and warming blanket will be maintained in a desired cooling/warming temperature, so that a heat exchange circulation can be carried out in a green energy-saving manner without any fan and compressor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a traditional cooling and warming device;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a cooling and warming device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a heat exchanger according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a receiving space of the cooling and warming device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the receiving space only receives water.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to FIG. 2, a cooling and warming device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. As shown, the cooling and warming device comprises a housing 2 including a receiving space 3 formed therein. The receiving space 3 has an upper end formed with an upper opening 30 exposed out of a surface of the housing 2, and a lower end formed with a lower opening 32, wherearound a heat exchanger 4 is fixedly mounted. Thus, a cooling unit 5 (such as water, ice, a refrigerant, or a bottle of frozen liquid) can be placed into the receiving space 3 from the upper opening 30 to make the cooling unit 5 contact with an upper surface of the heat exchanger 4. The heat exchanger 4 is provided with a heating element 40 therein. A liquid tank 6 is mounted in the housing 2 for storing a predetermined volume of a liquid. A pump 7 is mounted in the housing 2 and sandwiched between the liquid tank 6 and the heat exchanger 4. A control circuit 8 is mounted in the housing 2, and electrically connected to the pump 7 and the heating element 40 for controlling the pump 7, so that the liquid in the liquid tank 6 will be firstly guided to the heat exchanger 4, and then transferred to a cooling and warming blanket 9. Finally, the liquid is guided back to the liquid tank 6 through the cooling and warming blanket 9, so as to form a heat exchange circulating pathway. Thus, a uniform heat exchange for cooling the liquid in the liquid tank 6 will be carried out by heat with the cooling unit 5 through the heat exchanger 4. Alternatively, the control circuit 8 controls the heating element 40, so that the liquid in the liquid tank 6 can be warmed through the heat exchanger 4, and the liquid guided into the cooling and warming blanket 9 will be maintained in a desired cooling/warming temperature. As a result, a heat exchange circulation can be carried out in a green energy-saving manner without any fan and compressor.

Referring back to FIG. 2, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the heat exchanger 4 comprises a metal upper plate 42, a liquid guiding unit 44, and a metal lower plate 46. An upper surface of the metal upper plate 42 is facing the lower opening 32, while the liquid guiding unit 44 is mounted on a lower surface of the metal upper plate 42. The liquid guiding unit 44 has an upper surface and a lower surface wound with a liquid guiding channel 440, as shown in FIG. 3. An upper surface of the metal lower plate 46 is mounted on the lower surface of the liquid guiding unit 44, and the heating element 40 is mounted in the metal lower plate 46. Meanwhile, a lower surface of the metal lower plate 46 is provided with a liquid inlet 460 and a liquid outlet 462, each of which is penetrated through the metal lower plate 46, respectively. As a result, when the control circuit 8 starts the pump 7, the pump 7 guides the liquid in the liquid tank 6 to the liquid guiding unit 44 through the liquid inlet 460, and then the liquid is guided to the cooling and warming blanket 9 through the liquid outlet 462. Finally, the liquid is guided back to the liquid tank 6 through the cooling and warming blanket 9, so as to form a heat exchange circulating pathway. Thus, a uniform heat exchange for cooling the liquid will be carried out by the cooling unit 5 on the upper surface of the metal upper plate 42 through the metal upper plate 42 and the metal lower plate 46. Alternatively, a uniform heat exchange for warming the liquid can be carried out by the heating element 40 in the metal lower plate 46.

Referring now to FIG. 3, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a (lower) surface of the metal lower plate 46 is provided with an overheat protection unit 48 corresponding to the heating element 40. The overheat protection unit 48 is electrically connected to the control circuit 8 for detecting the temperature of the metal lower plate 46. When the heating element 40 is in a normal operation status, the overheat protection unit 48 allows an electric current of the control circuit 8 to pass through the heating element 40, so that the heating element 40 can continue to heat the liquid. However, when the heating element 40 is in an abnormal operation status that causes the metal lower plate 46 to be overheated, the overheat protection unit 48 will be actuated, so that the control circuit 8 will stop supplying the electric current to the heating element 40, in order to prevent the cooling and warming device from being overheated and burned. Preferably, the overheat protection unit 48 can be a thermal fuse, while the heating element 40 can be a heat pipe.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the surface of the housing 2 is provided with a control panel (not shown). The control panel is electrically connected to the control circuit 8, and used to respectively start/control the pump 7 or the heating element 40 by inputting control signals to the control circuit 8. Furthermore, referring to FIG. 2 again, the lower opening 32 of the receiving space 3 has a diameter greater than that of the upper opening 30. Meanwhile the receiving space 3 is tapered from the lower opening 32 to the upper opening 30 until a portion of the receiving space 3 has a diameter equal to that of the upper opening 30. Thus, a relatively lower portion of the receiving space 3 has a volume (or inner space) greater than that of other portion thereof. As a result, when a user places the cooling unit 5 (such as ice, refrigerant, or a bottle of frozen liquid) into the receiving space 3 from the upper opening 30, the user still can further place a few of another liquid (such as cooled water or iced water) thereinto, so that the low temperature of the cooling unit 5 can be uniformly distributed on the upper surface of the heat exchanger 4 through the another liquid. The structural design that the relatively lower portion of the receiving space 3 has a volume (or inner space) greater than that of the other portion thereof can also prevent a few of the another liquid placed in the receiving space 3 from overflowing out of the receiving space 3 due to shake or vibration during transporting the receiving space 3.

As described above, the cooling and warming device provides several advantages as the following:

1. The cooling and warming device cools the liquid by an additional cooling unit 5 without using the refrigerant, so that the cooling and warming device needs not to provide any compressor, refrigerant pipe, heat sink, fan, and other related elements. Thus, the volume and the weight of the cooling and warming device is smaller than those of the traditional cooling and warming device, while the structure and the installation procedure of the cooling and warming device is substantially simplified. As a result, the installation time and the manufacture cost of the cooling and warming device will be efficiently lowered;

2. Because the cooling and warming device has no any compressor and fan, there will be no noise caused by the compressor and fan and no heat wind caused by the fan in the cooling and warming device;

3. There is no any heat dissipation problem caused by the refrigerant pipe and the heat sink in the cooling and warming device;

4. The cooling unit 5 can be selected from ice or a bottle of frozen liquid, all of which are easily available in daily life. Furthermore, only one 1500 c.c. bottle of frozen liquid can carry out the heat exchange circulation of the cooling and warming device for cooling the liquid in the cooling and warming blanket 9 and maintaining the desired cooling/warming temperature (between 22° C. and 26° C.) of the liquid therein about more than 5 hours. As a result, the cooling and warming device can provide the heat exchange circulation for cooling the cooling and warming blanket 9 in a green energy-saving manner without any fan and compressor; and

5. When an air conditioner in a room is started to cause a heat exchange for cooling the air in the room, the receiving space 3 of the cooling and warming device in the room can only receive water as the cooling unit 5, as shown in FIG. 4. At this time, a heat exchange for cooling the water in the receiving space 3 will be carried out by the cooled air in the room, so as to cause a heat exchange circulation of the cooling and warming device for cooling the liquid in the cooling and warming blanket 9. Generally, flowing water has the temperature slightly lower by about 1° C.-2° C. than the ambient temperature. Thus, if it is desired to maintain the temperature of the liquid in the cooling and warming blanket 9 in a predetermined range between 26° C. and 27° C., the target temperature of the air conditioner needs not to be set to a temperature value lower than 26° C. Instead, the target temperature only needs to be adjusted about 2° C. up to a higher temperature value, such as 28° C.-29° C. At this manner, the cooling and warming blanket 9 still can be maintained in a cooled status, instead of a hot status, so as to carry out the energy-saving effect.

The present invention has been described with a preferred embodiment thereof and it is understood that many changes and modifications to the described embodiment can be carried out without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims. 

1. A cooling and warming device, comprising: a housing; a receiving space formed in the housing, wherein the receiving space has an upper end provided with an upper opening exposed out of a surface of the housing and a lower end provided with a lower opening; a heat exchanger fixedly mounted around the lower opening and having a heating element therein; a liquid tank mounted in the housing for storing a predetermined volume of a liquid; a pump mounted in the housing and sandwiched between the liquid tank and the heat exchanger; and a control circuit mounted in the housing and electrically connected to the pump and the heating element for controlling the pump and the heating element, so that the liquid in the liquid tank can be guided to the heat exchanger and a cooling and warming blanket in turn, and guided back to the liquid tank through the cooling and warming blanket, so as to form a heat exchange circulating pathway; wherein a uniform heat exchange for cooling the liquid in the liquid tank can be carried out by a cooling unit placed into the receiving space from the upper opening through the heat exchanger; or a uniform heat exchange for warming the liquid in the liquid tank can be carried out by a heating element in the heat exchanger.
 2. The cooling and warming device of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger comprises: a metal upper plate having an upper surface facing the lower opening; a liquid guiding unit mounted on a lower surface of the metal upper plate, wherein the liquid guiding unit has an upper surface and a lower surface wound with a liquid guiding channel; and a metal lower plate having an upper surface mounted on the lower surface of the liquid guiding unit, wherein the heating element is mounted in the metal lower plate, and the metal lower plate has a lower surface provided with a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, each of which is penetrated through the metal lower plate, respectively; wherein when the control circuit starts the pump, the pump guides the liquid in the liquid tank to the liquid guiding unit through the liquid inlet, and then the liquid is guided to the cooling and warming blanket through the liquid outlet, and the liquid is guided back to the liquid tank through the cooling and warming blanket, so as to form a heat exchange circulating pathway, such that a uniform heat exchange for cooling the liquid can be carried out by the cooling unit on the upper surface of the metal upper plate through the metal upper plate and the metal lower plate; or a uniform heat exchange for warming the liquid can be carried out by the heating element in the metal lower plate.
 3. The cooling and warming device of claim 2, wherein the surface of the metal lower plate further comprises an overheat protection unit corresponding to the heating element, and the overheat protection unit is electrically connected to the control circuit for detecting the temperature of the metal lower plate; whereby when the heating element is in a normal operation status, the overheat protection unit allows an electric current of the control circuit to pass through the heating element, so that the heating element can continue to heat the liquid; and when the heating element is in an abnormal operation status that causes the metal lower plate to be overheated, the overheat protection unit controls the control circuit to stop supplying the electric current to the heating element.
 4. The cooling and warming device of claim 3, wherein the surface of the housing further comprises a control panel which is electrically connected to the control circuit and used to respectively control the pump or the heating element by inputting control signals to the control circuit.
 5. The cooling and warming device of claim 4, wherein a relatively lower portion of the receiving space has a volume greater than a volume of other portion thereof.
 6. The cooling and warming device of claim 5, wherein the overheat protection unit is a thermal fuse.
 7. The cooling and warming device of claim 6, wherein the heating element is a heat pipe. 